by: Colin Sephton
Series: The Chronicles of the Charon
Genre: Steampunk Adventure Mystery/Fantasy
Release Date: November 4, 2025
Publisher: Cinnabar Moth Publishing
Ignatius and Indigo find themselves struggling mentally to come to terms with the complex nature of the cosmos and their newfound supernatural powers obtained through their prior encounters with gods and demons. In their quest for another relic from the Creation, they are aided by the secretive thirteenth Chapter of the Union Jacks. In search of the secret of the Flaming Celestial Pearl, they must travel to Tibet in the great airship, HM Spirit of the Empire.
Pursued by fanatical knights sworn to protect the relic, they must reluctantly call upon the Charon, the seven merciless demons from the underworld to assist them. Piecing together the map that will lead them to a fabled city hidden deep within the Himalayas, they must defend themselves from air pirates, a previous foe from Oxford, mountain beasts and elementals.
Discovering the correct path through the mountains, Indigo realises her soul may never be the same again. Regardless, they enter the Great Void where using the Sword of Wisdom, they discover the truth about the cosmos.
Why “Slayers” in each title?
When I set out writing the first novel, Timeslayers, I didn’t really have a trilogy in mind. But as the saga progressed, I wanted to have a consistent word that made it obvious these books were related to each other. Simply, having all the titles share a keyword, like “slayers”, suggests they are connected, not just in plot but in their themes. The idea of slaying or destroying something is apt for a trilogy in which protagonists are facing high stakes with cosmic evil or powers beyond their understanding. Each book might deal with a different kind of “slaying”, time, shadow, soul, so the modifier changes but similar action remains.
It's a deliberate device to unify the trilogy around themes of confrontation and conflict, especially with cosmic or otherwise powerful or supernatural threats. It gives a cohesion to the titles, signals the genre and tone, and mirrors the progression of the challenges the characters face. Using similar structures in a trilogy also helps with branding, readers see the pattern, know the books are part of the same series, and without that particular word get an immediate sense of danger, conflict, and adventure. It helps the trilogy feel unified.
Using “slayers” also signals that each book revolves around some conflict with a particular kind of threat (time, shadow, soul), and that the protagonists may be “slayers” of those.
Without giving too much away:
Timeslayers implies a conflict or challenges involving time, perhaps slaying or overcoming temporal forces.
Shadowslayers certainly involves dealing with shadows (darkness, secrets, ghosts, or hidden things).
Soulslayers is about deeper spiritual or existential battles.
I also thought that "slayers” has a certain impact, evoking fantasy, action, high stakes. It also demonstrates the progression of the trilogy maps onto a journey. First the protagonists, Ignatius and Indigo deal with external temporal threats (time), then internal shadows or secrets (shadow), then deeper existential or spiritual stakes (soul). The “slayers” motif works to link those arcs as part of one larger narrative of confrontation and transformation.
I think when I am writing, I am not always conscious of this development, and it is a natural part of my creativity process. I am a logical thinking ex-engineer, so I think the connections just tend to naturally occur without me giving it too much thought.
The desk was large, and made from burr walnut, inlaid with green leather, decorated around the edge in gold. Its golden glow illuminated the office. The room was floored with black and white tiles and all four walls were lined with rich oak panelling, with the same crest carved into one of the panels. Behind the desk hung a large oil painting, a dark portrait of a brooding figure. The desk was otherwise uncluttered, just a brass inkstand and a green banker’s lamp. The only ornamentation was a bronze of a lion like those seen in Trafalgar Square.
“Good morning, Mr Lawrence,” said an aide as he entered the office with a silver tray of tea. Earl Grey, his preferred choice. Hot, no milk.
“The latest reports, sir,” the aide gestured with his head at the stack of Manilla folders. “Some unusual goings on in Oxford,” he said as he raised an eyebrow. The thin weaselly man had been with the Union some twenty years and throughout all that time had spent most of it behind a desk.
Lawrence didn’t rise to his prompting and replied simply, “Very well, Jenkins, I will let you know!”
Sifting through the reports, Lawrence took on a serious brow, mulling over the potential impact on the Empire of each report. The first report told of dangerous shamanic practices in China, disrupting the activities of the East India Company. He picked up the next report and after reading it, then reading it again, his face turned red, his brow furrowing. Significant disturbances in Oxford. His large fist slammed down in a rage onto the green leather, knocking his ink pot over. A book fell off the shelf behind him as he filled his lungs and bellowed, “Jenkins, get me Isambard Ignatius. NOW!”
“Good morning, Mr Lawrence,” said an aide as he entered the office with a silver tray of tea. Earl Grey, his preferred choice. Hot, no milk.
“The latest reports, sir,” the aide gestured with his head at the stack of Manilla folders. “Some unusual goings on in Oxford,” he said as he raised an eyebrow. The thin weaselly man had been with the Union some twenty years and throughout all that time had spent most of it behind a desk.
Lawrence didn’t rise to his prompting and replied simply, “Very well, Jenkins, I will let you know!”
Sifting through the reports, Lawrence took on a serious brow, mulling over the potential impact on the Empire of each report. The first report told of dangerous shamanic practices in China, disrupting the activities of the East India Company. He picked up the next report and after reading it, then reading it again, his face turned red, his brow furrowing. Significant disturbances in Oxford. His large fist slammed down in a rage onto the green leather, knocking his ink pot over. A book fell off the shelf behind him as he filled his lungs and bellowed, “Jenkins, get me Isambard Ignatius. NOW!”
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Thank you so much for featuring SOULSLAYERS today.
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